She made her Broadway début in Stephen Sondheim & Hugh Wheeler's 'A Little Night Music' as Desirée Armfeldt, a role involving working with actress Angela Lansbury and director Sir Trevor Nunn. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in 2010 for this role.
I Can't Do It Alone
Catherine Zeta-Jones Lyrics
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My sister and I were headed straight fo the top
My sister and I earned a thou a week at least
Oh, sure!
But my sister is now, unfortunately, deceased
Oh, I know it's sad, of course
But a fact is still a fact
Is the remains
Of a perfect double act!
Roxie, do you know you are exactly the same
Size as my sister? oh, you would fit in her wardrobe
Perfectly. look, why don't I just show you some of
The act, huh? watch this.
Now you have to imagine
This with two people.
It's swell with two people.
First I'd (Drums!)
Then she'd (Saxophone!)
Then we'd (Together!)
But I can't do it alone!
Then she'd
Then I'd
Then we
But I can't do it alone!
She'd say,"what's your sister like? "
I'd say, "men,"
Yuk, yuk, yuk
She'd say, "you're the cat's meow"
Then we'd wow the crowd again
When she'd go
I'd go
We'd go
And then those ding-dong daddies started to roar
Whistled, stomped and stamped on the floor
Yelling, sreaming, begging for more.
And we'd say, "o.k. fellas, keep your socks up.
You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
But I simply cannot do it alone!
Well? what did ya' think? come on, you can say.
O.k., o.k. the first part can always be rewritten.
But the second part was really nifty. watch this.
Then she'd (See, get it, right?)
Then I'd (Then I'd kick really high)
Then we'd,
But I can't do it alone!
She'd say, "what state's chicago in?"
I'd say, "ill!"
Did ya' get that?
She'd say, "turn your motor off"
I can hear 'em cheerin' still
When she'd go,
I'd go,
We'd go (Sideways!)
And then those two-bit johnnies did it up brown
To cheer the best attraction in town
They nearly tore the balcony down
And we'd say. "o.k. fellas, o.k.,
We're goin' home, but here's a few more partin' shots!"
And this, this we did in perfect unison.
Now, you've seen me goin' through it
It may seem there's nothin' to it
But I simply cannot do it
Alone!
Like the deserted bride on her wedding night
All alone and shaking with fright
With her brand new hubby nowhere in sight
I simply cannot do it alone
The song "I Can't Do It Alone" is a number from the popular musical "Chicago" performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones. The lyrics speak of a once-successful sister act, with the main character reminiscing and demonstrating the routine to a prospective new partner, Roxie. However, the act is now impossible to perform, as her sister has died, leaving her alone in the spotlight. Through the song, she expresses her fear and inability to perform alone, paralleling it with a young bride's crippling fear of being abandoned on her wedding night.
The song serves as a metaphor for the theatrical nature of the criminal court system in which the show is set. The sister act represents the idea of two people working together to achieve their goal, but the fact that one of the sisters has died shows how the reality of the system often results in individuals ending up alone. The use of physical comedy throughout the routine underscores this idea, highlighting the superficiality of the court proceedings.
Line by Line Meaning
My sister and I had an act that couldn't flop
My sister and I had a double act that was very successful and couldn't go wrong
My sister and I were headed straight fo the top
My sister and I were on our way to becoming very famous
My sister and I earned a thou a week at least, Oh, sure!
My sister and I earned at least a thousand dollars a week, you bet!
But my sister is now, unfortunately, deceased
But unfortunately, my sister has passed away
Oh, I know it's sad, of course But a fact is still a fact And now all that remains Is the remains Of a perfect double act!
Yes, it's sad but true. My sister is gone and all that's left is a perfect double act with no one to perform it with
Roxie, do you know you are exactly the same Size as my sister? oh, you would fit in her wardrobe Perfectly. look, why don't I just show you some of The act, huh? watch this.
Hey Roxie, did you know you're the same size as my sister? You could fit into her clothes no problem. Let me show you some of the act, okay? Watch this
Now you have to imagine This with two people. It's swell with two people.
Now try to picture this act with two people, it's great when there are two people doing it
First I'd (Drums!) Then she'd (Saxophone!) Then we'd (Together!) But I can't do it alone!
First I'd play the drums, then she'd play the saxophone, then we'd play together, but I can't do it alone!
Then she'd Then I'd Then we But I can't do it alone!
She'd play, I'd play, we'd play together but I can't do it alone!
She'd say,"what's your sister like?" I'd say, "men," Yuk, yuk, yuk She'd say, "you're the cat's meow" Then we'd wow the crowd again When she'd go I'd go We'd go
She'd ask me about my sister and I'd make a joke about her liking men, then she'd compliment me and we'd wow the crowd again. When she'd dance, I'd dance and we'd dance together
And then those ding-dong daddies started to roar Whistled, stomped and stamped on the floor Yelling, sreaming, begging for more.
And then the audience started to make noise, whistled, stomped, screamed and begged for more
And we'd say, "o.k. fellas, keep your socks up. You ain't seen nothin' yet!" But I simply cannot do it alone!
And we'd tell the audience to keep their socks up because they haven't seen the best yet, but I just can't do this act alone
Well? what did ya' think? come on, you can say. O.k., o.k. the first part can always be rewritten. But the second part was really nifty. watch this.
So what do you think? You can be honest with me. Okay, okay, the first part can be changed, but the second part was really good. Watch this
Then she'd (See, get it, right?) Then I'd (Then I'd kick really high) Then we'd, But I can't do it alone!
Then she'd dance a certain way, I'd kick really high, then we'd dance together, but I can't do this alone
She'd say, "what state's chicago in?" I'd say, "ill!" Did ya' get that? She'd say, "turn your motor off" I can hear 'em cheerin' still When she'd go, I'd go, We'd go (Sideways!)
She'd ask me a silly question about Chicago, I'd respond with "Ill" (as in Illinois), and then she'd tell me to stop making noise. I can still hear the cheers. When she'd dance, I'd dance, and we'd dance together (sideways)
And then those two-bit johnnies did it up brown To cheer the best attraction in town They nearly tore the balcony down And we'd say. "o.k. fellas, o.k., We're goin' home, but here's a few more partin' shots!" And this, this we did in perfect unison.
And then those cheap guys really got into it and cheered the best attraction in town. They almost destroyed the balcony. And we'd tell the audience, "okay guys, we're going home but here's some more for you!" and we'd dance in perfect harmony
Now, you've seen me goin' through it It may seem there's nothin' to it But I simply cannot do it Alone! Like the deserted bride on her wedding night All alone and shaking with fright With her brand new hubby nowhere in sight I simply cannot do it alone
I know it seems like it should be easy, but I can't do this alone. It's like being a bride left alone on her wedding night, scared with no husband to be found. I just can't do this alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED EBB, JOHN KANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ratonadebiblioteca98
"My sister is now unfortunately deceased".
@derp_6743
Alejandra Escutia Angulo its not like she killed her or anything
@spacegirl1333
Derp_ and if she done if, how could you tell her that she was wrong? They both had it coming...
@alexislopez5339
They only had themselves to blame.
@MOBROOKS
I know it’s sad of course,
But a fact is still a fact.
@MOBROOKS
spacewitch 333
Lmao at
“they both had it coming”
Brilliant.
@richellel456
Simply cannot do it alone. (Does it alone).
@xXWhiteTiger21Xx
I know right? Haha, especially in All That Jazz.
@musiclova6095
+Richelle L but you gotta imagine it with two people. Its swell with 2 people
@bigred8432
That’s the point